Local Area Networks (LANs) are becoming more popular. Wireless LANs (WLANs) are being deployed and planned for in homes and small businesses. These WLANs are often a means of replacing or avoiding the installation and maintenance required for wired networks while providing some limited freedom of movement for users of the WLANs. Various specifications are available or are in some stage of development that describe the operation or interface between communications devices for various protocols or types of systems.
Examples of WLAN systems include the Bluetooth, Home RF, and 802.11 a and b systems and similar systems being proposed in Europe. All of these systems have some form of service acquisition mode that equipment operating according to the respective specifications utilizes in order to form a connection with another unit or units in the system. Due to the ad-hoc nature of these systems in general one does not know whether any other units are available and if so whether services that you desire are available. Since most of these systems operate in ISM frequency bands according to frequency hopped or other spread spectrum schemes with large numbers of “channels” the service acquisition procedures can be quite involved, relatively lengthy in time, and require numerous transmissions and other power intensive activities without any assurance that service will be acquired. An acquisition attempt can result in the loss of any security that anonymity may have been providing (you can not hack what you do not know exists) and repeated attempts can quickly deplete a battery for those wireless units that are battery powered, more or less essential for freedom of movement.
What is needed is a method and apparatus for controlling service acquisition in a WLAN device thereby improving battery life and security for the user of the WLAN device.